Institute for Justice: First Amendment Cases: Texas Computer Repair
Thanks to Fester for this WTF weirdness. Texas wants computer repair technicians to be licensed Private Investigators. Somehow the hardboiled world of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett doesn’t jibe in my mind with a guy in a shortsleeved shirt swapping power supplies on a beige desktop.
Then again, there are always the news stories about the people who get fired when they send their PC in for a repair and get nailed for having dirty pictures stored on the drive.
“Under the new law enacted in 2007, Texas has put computer repair shops on notice that they had better watch their backs any time they work on a computer. If a computer repair technician without a government-issued private investigator’s license takes any actions that the government deems to be an “investigation,†they may be subject to criminal penalties of up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine, as well as civil penalties of up to $10,000. The definition of “investigation†is very broad and encompasses many common computer repair tasks”
His cordless screwdriver ripped into thew third fold of belly fat like a hot .38, rippling across his shapeless blubber. The dame and her Dell Perspiron were equally hot. The sweat drained down his pocket protector in steamy rivulets as he discounted her bill for a new cursor….
JimF
I hissed as I stole a peek at her guns. “Lady, the problem is obvious. This ain’t a ThinkPad…”
I think this is rediculous. I am not a private investigator, I am a PC Technician. If I am saving Pictures, Music , Movies and Documents from someones hard drive, I have to go through their files but, that doesn’t make me a “Private Investigator.” If they are going to make me get a License for this then I think a Mandated pay raise is due to us Techs. as well.
Side Note – If I am working on a computer and I come across Child Pornography, would I go to prison with the pervert because I found the pictures without having a “Private Investingators” License? This can be used in almost any scenary. It seems to be just another way for the Government to control everything. The founding fathers are turning in their graves as I type this.